Who is considered a carer?
A carer is defined as anyone who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. The care they give is unpaid.
It’s likely that every one of us will have caring responsibilities at some time in our lives. Many carers juggle their caring responsibilities with work, study and other family commitments. Some, in particular younger carers, are often not known to be carers. Sometimes they don’t tell relatives, friends or health and care professionals about their responsibilities because of a fear of separation, guilt, pride or other reasons.
The sort of roles and responsibilities that carers provide varies widely. It can range from help with everyday tasks such as getting out of bed and personal care such as bathing, to emotional support such as helping someone cope with the symptoms of a mental illness.
To find out more visit NHS: Who is considered a carer?
In this article:
Community & peer support
It is important to find a support network, and one of the best places for this is with your fellow students. There are several ways you can get in touch and get to know your peers, including making sure you join any chat groups or societies within your faculty.
Let the Advice & Guidance Team know that you are a parent or carer by completing the online registration form at the Register as a Student Parent or Carer website. This will allow us to keep you up to date with relevant events, and to inform you of useful information to help you in your studies and student life.
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Time out for caring
Can I take time out to for my caring responsibilities?
It is common for students to need to take time out to care for friends, partners or family. If you think this applies to you, then we encourage you to speak to a member of your academic department and also get in touch with our advisers in the Money & Housing Advice team so that you are supported through this process.
Depending on what may be going on in your life, you may be unsure about taking a break and what that might mean. To help guide you in your decision making, please read our article I'm not sure if I should leave my course or just take a break.
If you're looking for family-friendly accommodation, check out Where can I look for family-friendly student accommodation?